The Top 13 D.C. Crime Stories for 2013

The capital region saw an abundance of crimes in 2013, including an increase in homicides, the deadliest mass shooting in District of Columbia history and the arrests of many political figures, including a U.S. Congressman busted for cocaine. Which crimes made the Top 13? Check it out here and let us know which ones we missed?

13) The Sliming of Washington’s Icons — Green paint was spattered on the Lincoln Memorial, the National Cathedral and a Smithsonian statue in July, causing widespread anger. The investigation by federal and District police quickly led to 58-year-old Tian Jiamel, a homeless woman from China. She was admitted to a psychiatric ward and ruled incompetent to stand trial.

12) On-the-Road Rage — Singer Chris Brown was arrested in October for an altercation outside his tour bus in downtown D.C. The arrest resulted in the revocation of Brown’s probation for his well-publicized beating of former girlfriend, pop star Rihanna. A Los Angeles judge has temporarily allowed Brown to continue his stint in rehab instead of going to jail.

11) EPA’s Million Dollar Con Artist — John Beale, the EPA’s highest-paid employee and a leading expert on climate change, bilked the government out of nearly $1 million by claiming he was a CIA spy to skip work. Beale also claimed to be suffering from malaria that he got while serving in Vietnam so he could get a handicap parking space near the EPA headquarters. But he never had malaria and he never served in Vietnam. Beale was sentenced to more than two years in prison.

10) The Fall of Jesse Jackson Jr. — The 48-year-old Congressman was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for spending $750,000 in campaign funds on personal items, including a $43,350 gold-plated men’s Rolex watch. Jackson’s wife, Sandra Jackson, was also convicted for filing joint federal income tax returns that understated the couple’s income. She spent $5,150 in campaign funds on fur capes and parkas.

9) Gun Too Far — Activist Adam Kokesh was arrested and convicted on weapons charges after he posted a video of himself pumping a shotgun near the White House on Independence Day. The stunt came after he canceled an armed march into D.C. to protest the city’s strict gun laws.

8) Molly Madness — The designer drug grew in popularity and led to the death of University of Virginia student Mary “Shelly” Goldsmith at a D.C. nightclub in September. Police have linked the batch of the drug that killed Goldsmith, 19, to three more deaths at concerts and clubs in Boston and New York. Molly is the street name for a drug that is pushed as the pure powder form of a banned substance known as MDMA, the main chemical in ecstasy. (Photo DEA)

7) D.C. Police Runaway Girls Scandal — D.C. police officer Marc Washington was arrested on child pornography charges and veteran Officer Linwood Barnhill Jr. was arrested on accusations of running a prostitution ring after a missing girl was found at his D.C. apartment. Police are investigating whether the cases were connected. Washington died Dec. 11, 2013 after he was found in the waters of Hains Point.

6) D.C. Shadow Campaign — Federal agents continued to focus on Jeffrey Thompson in an alleged shadow campaign that helped elect Mayor Vincent Gray. Four Gray associates were charged and or convicted of political corruption charges in 2013, but Thompson and Gray remain uncharged.

5) Deadly Capitol Car Chase — A young mother led police on a car chase from the White House to the U.S. Capitol before she was gunned down. Miriam Carey, a 34-year-old dental hygienist, believed she was being controlled by President Obama.

4) Deeds Tragedy — Virginia state Sen. Creigh Deeds (D-Bath) was stabbed multiple times by his son near Charlottesville on Nov. 19. Gus Deeds, 25, then took his own life. The stabbing came one day after Deeds’ son was taken to a mental hospital under an emergency custody order. Deeds, the Democratic nominee for Virginia governor in 2009, vowed to work to change how mental health services are delivered so families don’t have to go through what his did.

3) Capture of FBI Most Wanted Figure –Eric Toth, the elite D.C. private school teacher who replaced Osama Bin Laden on the FBI’s Most Wanted list, was captured April 10, 2013, in Nicaragua after a five-year manhunt. Toth pleaded guilty in federal court this month to producing child porn.

2) Wikileaks Conviction — Army intelligence analyst Pfc. Bradley Manning was convicted of leaking the largest cache of classified materials in U.S. history. After a military judge sentenced him to 35 years in prison, Manning changed his gender identity and name to Chelsea Manning.

No. 1) Navy Yard Massacre — On September 16, Aaron Alexis fatally shot twelve people and injured three others in a mass shooting at the headquarters of the Naval Sea Systems Command in Southeast Washington. It was the deadliest mass shooting in the District of Columbia’s history. (Photo FBI)